Holidays in Europe for singles over 40: walking, cities, islands and snow

If you are in your forties, single and looking for holidays in Europe that are more than a sunbed and a paperback, Spice Escapes runs small hosted group trips with walking, cities, islands and ski weeks, and you travel on your own without being on your own. A host from our team goes with the group, the flights and the hotel are arranged, and you join people who want to do things, from a nine-mile river walk in northern Spain to a Saturday watching tango in a Berlin park.

The worry we hear most from people at the younger end is simple: will I turn up and find I am the youngest in the room by a generation? Spice Escapes is built for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and the trips on this page are the ones with the most going on. We cannot promise who books any given departure, but you can ask us about a particular trip before you commit, and we will tell you honestly what it is like.

Why a group suits you better in your forties than it did at twenty

At twenty, going away alone meant hostels and hoping. In your forties you probably have less time, more money and a firmer idea of what a good week looks like. A hosted group gives you the company without the compromise. Nobody has to agree to come with you, there is no partner to talk round, and you are not using up a friend's annual leave on a trip they only half wanted.

What changes in practice is the evening. On your own in a European city, the first night is the hard one. With a group there is a table already, a host who has made the introductions, and by the second evening there are people you would happily sit with again. Plenty of the friendships that start on these trips carry on afterwards, with people booking the next holiday together. If going away with strangers is new to you, our page for first-time solo travellers explains how the first day works.

Walking the Cantabrian coast with people who set the pace

Cantabrian Walking Week is the one to look at if you want to come home tired in the good way. It runs for 7 nights, departing 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027, from £999, and your walking hosts are Jen & Jim. They have walked the area themselves to choose the routes, which run from under three miles to nearly nine, along the coast, by rivers and through forest.

The walks are social and leisurely, but if you want to go a little quicker, Jim is happy to push harder, which is useful if you are fitter than you expect the rest of the group to be. You stay in a large renovated house called Agara, every meal is included, and there is local wine and beer to help yourself to. Right now: 7 places left. For more on this part of the country, see our holidays in Spain, and for the whole range, our walking holidays.

Berlin for a long weekend, with tango in the park

For a city with an edge, Berlin Bound is 3 nights from £549, departing 4 Jun 2027 – 7 Jun 2027. The hotel is by Alexanderplatz, a short walk from Museum Island, and the trip includes hop-on hop-off city tour tickets and a river cruise. Your coordinator leads one day round the city and the rest is your own.

On Saturday afternoons Berliners gather in Monbijoupark to dance tango outdoors. You can join in or sit in the sun with a drink and watch, and either way you are doing it with company. It suits someone who wants museums, galleries and food in the same weekend and does not want a fixed timetable. Right now: 22 places left. More short trips like this sit under our city breaks.

Seville at your own speed

Surprising Seville is 4 nights from £549, departing 4 Mar 2027 – 8 Mar 2027, hosted by Jackie Whyte. A 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket is included, and the hotel is minutes from the cathedral and the Barrio de Santa Cruz. The extras are there only if you want them: a guided visit to the Alcázar and cathedral, a morning Segway tour, or flamenco at Tablao El Arenal in the evening.

This is a good one if you like a city with plenty of evening in it. You can pick the Segway and the flamenco and skip the rest, or do the opposite, and the group will still be there at breakfast. Right now: 23 places left.

A week on a Croatian island that is not all lying down

Croatian Chillout takes you to the island of Lošinj for 7 nights, from £869, departing 1 May 2027 – 8 May 2027, with Jackie Whyte as host. It is half board at Hotel Punta, so breakfast and dinner are taken care of, and the hotel has fitness halls and outdoor group training sessions if you want to keep moving.

There is a boat day round the Lošinj archipelago with swimming in quiet coves and a chance of dolphins, a coastal trail towards Krivica Bay, and Mali Lošinj is a walk or cycle away. It is a restful week with enough in it to stop you getting restless. Right now: 13 places left. See more in Croatia.

If you would rather go in the winter

For a ski week, Ski Morzine is 7 nights from £1,199, departing 30 Jan 2027 – 6 Feb 2027. Morzine links into Les Gets and Avoriaz, the hotel is a walk from the Super Morzine lift with a pool and sauna, and seven evening meals are included, so nobody is hunting for a table after a day on the slopes. Right now: 14 places left. Our guide to solo ski holidays with a hosted group explains how the week runs.

The cost of a room to yourself

Every holiday carries a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself, and we show it plainly rather than burying it. Our single supplement page explains how it works and how to keep it down. If you want a city first, our guide to European city breaks for solo travellers compares the options, and our over 50s solo holidays page shows the full range of what we run.

Questions people ask

Will I be much younger than everyone else?

Spice Escapes runs holidays for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and active trips and city breaks tend to suit the younger end. We cannot promise who will book a particular departure. Ask us about the trip you are looking at and we will give you an honest picture before you pay anything.

Do I have to do everything with the group?

No. The host suggests plans and makes sure there is company at dinner, but free days are yours to spend alone or with whoever you have clicked with.

How big are the groups?

Groups are around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. That is large enough for real choice about who you spend the evening with and small enough that everyone knows each other within a couple of days.

Are the flights included?

Several of our holidays include flights from the UK, and flight-inclusive holidays are protected under our ATOL licence 9046. Each holiday page says exactly what is included, and we are happy to confirm it before you book.

I am fit and want proper exercise, which trip should I pick?

The Cantabrian walking week has the longest days on foot, and Jim will push the pace for anyone who wants it. A ski week in Morzine is the other obvious choice if you would rather go in the winter.

Tell us what kind of week you want

The quickest way to find the right trip is to tell us what you enjoy, how active you want to be and when you can get away. Jackie Whyte, who hosts our Seville and Croatia trips, and the rest of the team will match you to a departure, tell you who is hosting and answer the question about who else tends to come. Send us an enquiry and we will come back to you with places and dates.